Chapter 20: Breath

I lay on the couch waiting for him, maybe he would come back apologise, say something, anything, and I found myself asleep after hours of thinking.

When i woke up, I was laying on his bed, how did I make it here? Did he carry me all the way to his bed?

I got up, and I found him still asleep on the couch, where I was supposed to be sleeping last night.

He must have switched places.

I prepare breakfast for us waiting for him to wake up, I guess he didn't get enough sleep last night.

Then he turn around and open his eyes.

"Oh hey there sleepy head, did you get any sleep?"

"A little, I guess"

"Oh I prepared breakfast for us if you like, pancakes, just how you like them."

"Yeah, thanks"

He is still overwhelmed by everything that happened.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine"

"Tyler you don't need to give me the cold shoulder, we're going through this together"

"..."

Silence, sometimes I hate it, it scares me, when other times silence is all I need.

"I know you are not in the mood to talk, so come and have breakfast with me."

"I'm not hungry"

"O-okay"

He never says no to food, especially not to my pancakes.

"Do you want to go to school today?

If you want you can stay here today, I'll cover for you."

"That won't be necessary"

"Tyler, please, you can't go to school in this state"

"I said I'm fine! Goddamnit Millie can you atop nagging for a second."

"Nagging? So now I am nagging?? You know what, I don't want to start a fight with you early in the morning, and if you call taking care of you nagging, then maybe you should start taking care of yourself."

"No hey tigress wait, I'm sorry, I-i didn't mean to-

Shit... I'm an idiot"

I'm trying my best and all he does is complain, his father is fine, and he is acting like he killed him.

What am I supposed to do! I promised him I'll be there for him but he doesn't want that, he keep bottling his emotions and act like everything is fine.

He doesn't have to take the burden all by himself.

I arrive at school, and try to ignore everyone, especially James, I'm not in the mood for his sarcasm.

I fell asleep in class, woke up the teacher was yelling at me.

I couldn't hear anything, so I just stormed out of the class, heading to our place. The bathrooms.

Romantic much.

"Ugh, I hate this!"

I press hard against the sink

"What?"

Someone, kind of a familiar voice, came behind me.

"You startled me James! Don't walk up on me like that!"

"Oops sorry, but I just thought you might need some company?"

"No, I'm fine"

"Oh C'mon, what's wrong with you?"

"Can you just leave me alone please"

"Sure, by the way, where is your friend?"

I glance at him, my gaze could cut him in half.

"My boyfriend, you mean"

"Yea, that guy"

I've had enough, I really can't deal with this guy right now.

"You know what, I'm leaving if you aren't"

"Hey, chill I'll leave, I was just making sure you were okay"

"Ughh, sorry, I had a bad morning"

I rub my eyes and my hand go all the way to my hair, I'm feeling stressed, tired, and anxious.

"So you want to postpone our session today?"

"Yeah, I can't focus right now, or anytime at all."

"Sure, see you then."

"Yeah..."

He left and I was alone again with my thoughts.

Sudenly I hear girls talking and gossiping outside.

I head out, hear them talking some shit about me and james.

-"Do you think she's cheating on Tyler? She's really stupid, she has the hottest boy on earth, and she is still after James, he's hot yeah, but like Tyler is hotter."

-"Yeah, like just be satisfied with what you have, leave other hot guys for us."

-"Right? And she isn't even that hot, we are better than her"

I still couldn't confront them, but how could they even think that I am cheating on Tyler? And with james on top of that!

-"How do you know she's cheating on him with James anyway?"

-"I saw her enter the bathrooms and then James entered right after her"

The heck?! Enough is enough.

"Hey! You can't just come up with rumors and talk behind my back like that, respect yourselves"

-"Look who's the one talking, just because Tyler didn't come today you gotta use that opportunity? Hah, and we know you are meeting with him after school"

"It's because I am his fucking tutor, ugh... anyway I don't have to explain myself, just don't cross your limit"

-"Yea whatever"

Who does she think she is to spread rumors without even having solid proof? Assholes.

Just because he entered the bathroom after me that means I am cheating with him?!

What have we become?

No respect for others, anyway Tyler is not gonna believe some stupid rumors so I have nothing to worry about.

They throw a dirty look at me and leave, while one of them bumped into me while leaving.

I can't believe how people can be this rude, I try my best to satisfy everyone and never hurt anyone around me, but why do I always get hurt?

I waited for the bell ring, I walk up to class, a crowd of people screaming and cheering in the middle of the hallway. I try to get a better view, I stand on the tip of my toes, I see something- Wait, that hair, that... head, that is Tyler, what is he doing in the middle of that crowd, what did he do now?

I find a way to the opening scene, Tyler was fighting with James,

I don't know why, and I thought Tyler was staying home, Is he taking his anger out on James? What happened.

I stood still, paralyzed by this scene, they were punching each other as their lives depended on this match.

I finally snap out of it and tried to stop Tyler.

"Tyler! Oh my god! What are you doing here?! Stop!"

But he didn't listen, he was still punching James and James trying to either dodge or block his attacks, it's like he stopped when he saw me, to make himself the victim maybe?

I then stood in front of Tyler held his hand, to stop him from fighting him, I locked my eyes into his. Slowly his breath seemed to calm down and his grip to weaken.

"Tyler, look at me, take a deep breath"

He took a deep breath his head down, ashamed for me to see him, to see how he beat the shit out of his father and now James.

"Babe, stop, you'll get in trouble please"

Some random girl with a shitty personality talked back at me

-"Don't act like you care bitch, you just don't want to get your boyfriends faces messed up, hahaha"

And she laughed, she said it like it was nothing, meanwhile, she stabbed me with a knife.

I turn around and half of the school was still there.

"What are you still here for? The show is over, leave!"

No one seemed to care, they all just wanted to see what was gonna happen, then the principal got my back and shouted at them.

"Didn't you hear what she said? Get back to your classes or I'm going to assign you on cleaning the entire school this afternoon."

In a matter of seconds, the hallway was deserted again.

I looked at the principal, he took a few steps forward

"We have a lot to discuss the three of us, but at this moment I'm gonna leave you to calm down and head to the infirmary, then straight to my office both of you."

He nodded at me and got back to his office.

James was sitting on the ground laying his back on the wall, Tyler standing in front of me.

The second I started to talk I found Tyler fell on his knees.

"Babe,...''

I stopped talking, I knew he needed a hug right now, not anything else. So I kneeled with him and hugged him, he tried to hide it, but I could feel him sobbing on my shoulder.

We stayed like this for what felt like hours, James hasn't moved an inch. Tyler let go of me when he felt better.

"Can I now ask what happened between you two?"

James lifted his head and took parol

"I'll leave you two talk in private, I'm going to the infirmary"

"No, stay, you can't just leave as nothing happened, I need to hear both sides, if not now later."

"You wanna know what happened I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you won't as much be in the same room as that motherfucker."

Finally, Tyler spoke, his silence scares the shit out of me, he was angry, and if James says something wrong Tyler was ready to kick his ass again.

"I'll need to hear the whole story first, then I decide if I should make such a promise"

James looked at the ground as if he knew I'm gonna side with Tyler, and never talk to him again.